Analysis Of I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings By Maya Angelou

Emmanuella Abankwah December 12, 2017

Maya Angelou uses her memoir I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings, to share her story about her difficult life growing up as a black girl in the South. Her story takes her from Stamps Arkansas all the way to Oakland, California. Through this journey, she travels to different cities, with a major event happening in each city. Angelou incorporates the five elements of a story: opening, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution by using each city as a backdrop for pivotal events in her life.
Opening:
The opening of the book takes place in Stamps, Arkansas where Maya and her brother Bailey are turned over to their grandmother’s care. They are three and four years old respectively and have

Momma is the epitome of a Southern African-American woman. She is the only African-American woman that owns a store in the neighborhood and is a rather well off for a rural black woman. The children do not suffer any economic hardship - not even during the Great Depression. Her store is the center of the town and is at its busiest during the cotton season. Momma is typically referred to as “Mrs” by the people in town, further showing that she is a respectable figure in town. She manages a strict household with necessary routine and goes to church every Sunday. She keeps a distance from white people, whom she refers to as “they,” because she has been taught from a young age that they are powerful and not to be questioned. Despite her strong-willed nature, Momma doesn't ever speak out about white people because she doesn’t want to cause trouble for her friends and family. Momma becomes a significant figure in Maya and Bailey’s

Life for Maya was muted and dull, she had only listened to words being told to her but the words would never come out. One day, a congenial woman named Mrs. Flowers invites Maya out to eat on her porch and talk. Maya’s meeting with Mrs. Flowers is the first step to her healing process after rape. Mrs. Flowers states that although Maya does good work at school, being able to speak out was essential. "Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning." By introducing Maya to the power of speaking aloud Mrs. Flowers provides one of the first links for us between young Maya and the future Maya character who is the famous author and poet we know